Frustrated shop owners feel they are being “held hostage” by regular traffic disruption at the Port of Dover which is costing them vital trade.

Robin Burkhardt, who owns the Old Curiosity Shop in Snargate Street, says repeated delays mean customers often cannot reach his store because of queuing lorries blocking the road.

Dover is often clogged up by port traffic congestion, which is heightened during peak travel periods, such as the school holidays.

While disruption is not every day, Mr Burkhardt says he notices an obvious drop in footfall whenever traffic management system Dover TAP is deployed.

This is a system of queuing lorries on one lane of the A20 when there are high volumes of vehicles looking to cross the Channel into Europe.

Fed up with the disruption, Mr Burkhardt has started a petition calling for a solution to finally put an end to the gridlock.

He said: “Twice in 18 months I haven't been able to physically get to the shop so I couldn't even open it.

“The lorries block the entrance to Snargate Street and locals know when there is trouble at the port so they won't stay local, they'll go to Canterbury.

“The port is the worst neighbour anyone can have.

“We have had promises from our MP and councillors and still we are held hostage by the Port of Dover. As a town we need to say enough is enough.”

TAP is often brought in when there is a risk of congestion in the town centre, with lorry drivers asked to remain in the left lane of the A20, close to the Aycliffe estate.

But the congestion can sometimes reach part of the A20 which runs parallel to Snargate Street, opposite the marina.

Mr Burkhardt started his business as a market stall in the Co-Innovation Centre in the former Co-op site in Stembrook.

When the centre closed, traders moved to the former McDonald’s unit in Biggin Street. But 18 months ago he decided to expand and opened his own shop.

He added: “We wanted to get a place on the high street but high rents make it impossible for a small business to afford to be there.

“We are building up trade but we haven't had a year of trading where there hasn't been a major disaster we can't control.

“Then the trouble at the port is the cherry on the cake.”

So far the petition has only been signed by 96 people, something Mr Burkhardt says is disappointing to see.

He said: “There's no community spirit in this town unfortunately.

“People say 'it didn't affect my road' but it would impact them if their Amazon delivery couldn't get through.

“It has a knock-on effect but people are too blinkered to realise it does affect their everyday life.

“Then you have the poor souls in Aycliffe.

“For years they have been promised a solution but nothing has been done and it has nothing to do with Brexit – it has been going on since the 60s.

“Yes, we have had petitions before but I'm not prepared to give up. Without people getting involved it is pointless.

“I've lived in Dover for 10 years and I'm proud to live here, we have so much history here worth visiting – but cars just drive straight past.

“Dover shouldn't be a place of departure, it should be a destination.”

Also backing the petition is Jan Shepherd who runs Biggin BizR in the town centre, a space where small businesses can sell their items under one roof for discounted rents.

“When there is disruption there is an obvious lack of footfall, we even had to close on one occasion,” she said. “People can't get into Dover and local people can't get around.

“There are those that will walk, but most people like to drive these days.

“We let small units to people to build up their business so any disruption makes a huge difference.

“The more people who support the petition the better.”

Sarah Woolhouse, owner of Upcycle Recycle which operates from the shared unit in Biggin Street, said: "I come down from Temple Ewell so I can see how bad it is before I get here.

"When people know there is a problem, they just don't come into town.

"While I'm here I can get on with alterations and other jobs, but some people can't, they need the footfall."

Mark Burford, from Jayne's Photography and Second-hand Books, explained for him, it also impacts his ability to bring stock to the store.

"It blocks everything so we can't transport any goods into the shop,” he said.

"The town is absolutely empty on a day with traffic compared to a normal day, footfall drops off a cliff.

"Last season they fined lorry drivers who went down through back routes instead of going down the M20 and this season it doesn't seem to have come in.

"I think we should reintroduce that because it massively helped. There is a direct ratio between footfall and takings and with the way the economy is working, there is a fine line between making rent and not for a small business."

A Port of Dover spokesperson said the port, its ferry operators, and Police aux Frontières, and other operational partners “worked together to meticulously plan for the 2023 peak summer season”.

They added: “Alongside our objective of securing the best possible passenger experience, minimising community disruption has been the core purpose of our extensive planning for the summer period.

“This has included measures such as ensuring the resourcing of key town junctions with traffic officers during peak hours.

“The Port of Dover remains an immensely popular choice for UK holidaymakers; helping over 1.13m passengers across the Channel during the summer getaway so far, many of whom are families undertaking their first holiday since the pandemic.

“Despite huge demand, the plan for summer has been deployed successfully and we have succeeded in getting passengers and vehicles away well within our planned timeframes and have not seen a repeat of the scale of issues experienced on local roads at Easter and in summer 2022.

“We have publicised our special thanks to the Dover community for their understanding during the isolated periods of disruption that have occurred during this peak season, and we are grateful to residents for their support as we work hard to keep the local network moving.

“We will continue to liaise with local stakeholders, including Kent Resilience Forum and Dover District Council, to deliver a long-term solution that supports our local community and enables Kent to remain a key travel hub connecting the United Kingdom to mainland Europe.”

A spokesperson from Dover District Council added: “We do sympathise with these issues, and continue to work closely with partners including the Port of Dover and the Kent Resilience Forum for solutions.”

At the start of the summer holidays last month, there were delays of up to 90 minutes at the port having a knock-on effect on the town’s roads.

In April some travellers, including children and staff on school trips, were left waiting for up to 19 hours.

But it’s not just the school holiday season that causes congestion in Dover, on occasions it has been stormy weather disrupting ferry schedules, strikes in Calais or delays in border controls.

A lack of French staff caused a traffic build-up that seized up the entire town for as long as 12 hours on July 23, 2016, which became nicknamed Black Saturday.

Last month National Highways announced a “quiet zone” on the A20 next to the Aycliffe estate, banning lorries from using their horns between 11.30pm and 7am.

But those living in the estate said the scheme hasn't had any effect.

MP Natalie Elphicke said: “Keeping Dover Clear during peak traffic periods is a key priority for us all. Traffic problems harm trade and make it harder for people to get about.

“That’s why I have been fighting for the Dover TAP to be moved away from the town.

“As well as successfully pressing traffic chiefs to plan properly for the summer getaway - helping to avoid the kind of traffic gridlock we have seen at other times.”